Hometeam basketball: Hernandez is Fitchburg's leader on court, in classroom

Thursday

Jan 2, 2014 at 10:36 PMJan 2, 2014 at 11:40 PM

Mike Richard Hometeam Basketball

It's one thing for a basketball coach to enthuse over his star player's work ethic on the basketball court. However, it goes a step further when things spill into the anatomy and physiology class.

Yet, that is the high praise heaped on Fitchburg's Jose Hernandez by his coach — and anatomy teacher — Jack Scott.

"He's the same in the classroom as he is on the court. He'll be the hardest worker on the floor and then come up to the classroom and he's the hardest worker in there," Scott said. "He just rubs off on the other kids, too, and they feed off that."

The Fitchburg team has been feeding off a healthy helping of Hernandez since he first moved up to the varsity at the end of his freshman season for the postseason tournament.

"He got significant time as a sophomore and was an excellent role player," Scott said. "Last year he came into his own and made some huge improvements in his game and in his work ethic. He came back junior year a different kid and has carried that into this senior year where he's made more significant improvements."

Voted one of the team captains last season as a junior, Hernandez stepped into the leadership role with relish. Soccer was Hernandez's main sport while growing up, and he didn't get involved with basketball until he was a seventh-grader playing in a recreational league.

"I started taking it a little more seriously in eighth grade. Then freshman year came along and we went undefeated and that was the year I got moved up to varsity, which was a big thing for me," Hernandez said. "After that, basketball has been my main thing and thinking about that one thing for me, which is a championship."

Fitchburg last won a Central Mass. title in 1992, before any of the players on the current were born.

"We are all focusing on (a championship) this year," said Hernandez, who also acknowledged his tight-knit senior teammates Manny Payton, Mick Snowden, Geraldo Santiago and Anthony Salome. "I love those guys, we're all a family and we're all looking for that one goal."

Santiago is the point guard, while Payton is the other guard. Snowden has been able to hit the outside shot, while Salome rounds out the starting five with his prowess on both offense and defense.

Hernandez, a 6-foot-1 center, prides himself on his rebounding ability.

"We don't have a lot of height, but as long as we can box out and we do well off the boards, we'll be fine," Hernandez said. "I love going after loose balls and trying to get every rebound that I can. I feel like (rebounding) and defense are the best parts of my game.

"I just put a body on somebody," he continued. "Once the ball goes up, while everyone's looking at it, I'm the first one to put a body on somebody and just go for it."

The Red Raiders are off to a 5-1 start heading into their game with Shrewsbury this evening, their lone loss to St. John's.

The well-rounded squad has been also getting contributions from fellow seniors Joey Echevarria and Kennedy Addo, as well as underclassmen Alex Romero, Ray Williams and Tyri Hampton.

"I look forward to coming here every single day. It's definitely a fun group," Scott said. "They genuinely care for one another and it really makes a different in the chemistry we have on this team. Jose (Hernandez), Mick (Snowden) and Manny (Payton) have been the catalysts behind it."

Hernandez, though the team's leading scorer averaging 11.6 ppg, knows what's important and buys into the adage that defense buys championships.

"Our defense is the main thing. If we can go out there and play man-to-man defense the way we can, we just need to take advantage of our opportunities," he said. "It's our main priority and it's so important. Communicate, box out, hedge on screens, just everything."

Scott also realizes the key role Hernandez plays on the team, and not just on both ends of the court.

"Jose has stepped into that leadership role last year and it was very natural," he said. "He may not be a vocal leader, but he does an outstanding job leading by example."

Kodys still making big shots

Narragansett senior Kris Kodys is leading all scorers in the Mid-Wach League with a 21.5 points-per-game average, but that is far from the highlight of his basketball career. In fact, he's done things on the court that have made ESPN's "Plays of the Week."

Back when he was playing for Narragansett Middle School, Kodys hit a full-court-length shot at the end of the first half of a game at Murdock that drew national attention.

"I got the inbounds pass under the opponent's basket and I just threw it down the court without even thinking," he said. "It was the first time I ever took a shot like that, because at 'Gansett you can't even do it because we have a baseball net in the middle."

His mother Donna just happened to be at the right place at the right time with the camera, and his coach sent in the video to ESPN where it finished as the No. 2 play of the week.

"No. 1 was a game-winner from the UCLA basketball game," he recalled.

The 6-foot-3 Kodys has come from a long line of basketball success in his family.

His dad Pete is a Narragansett Hall of Famer and led the Warriors to the 1971 District 3 basketball championship, while his brother Kenny was a standout player for Oakmont in the late 1990s. In addition, his uncle, Dick Kodys, is the girls' varsity coach at Narragansett.

"My dad's always been my biggest fan and I've learned a lot from him over the years," Kris said. "He's worked with me every time I want to go to the gym. Every time I want to just go shoot he's there. He's always given me advice."

However, as successful as Kodys has been on a basketball court, his athletic future will be spent pursuing another interest — golf.

"I would like to one day become a pro at a golf course and eventually own one," he said.

Kodys has already been accepted to Campbell University and Methodist University, both located in North Carolina.

Contact Mike Richard at mikerichard0725@gmail.com.

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